"He’s probably gone back a little bit to the old action in some way, shape or form" - Simon Doull calls out Sunil Narine for his bowling action

Former New Zealand bowler Simon Doull called out Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) spinner Sunil Narine for returning to his old action deemed illegal during the side's opening match against the SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH).

Narine was banned from bowling in international cricket in 2015 after his arm bent more than the threshold limit. He was called for illegal bowling action again in 2018 and 2019 but returned with a remodeled action and has remained a force to reckon with, even if his impact has drastically reduced.

However, he put on a vintage display in KKR's 2024 IPL season opener, with figures of 1/19 in four overs on a placid wicket where both teams scored over 200.

Speaking to Cricbuzz post-game, Doull praised Narine for his bowling display but also felt not playing international cricket eliminates the chances of him being called for illegal action again.

"Brilliant from Narine [his spell against SRH]. He assesses situations. He had a little bit of time when he got called for throwing. He was under the pump a little bit, he has remodelled his action a touch. He knows now, not playing international cricket, I think he knows he’s not going to be called anymore," said Doull.

He added:

"He knows that’s not a problem for him, so he’s probably gone back a little bit to the old action in some way, shape or form. He’s actually getting more purchase. He was one of the few that actually got a little bit of assistance out of the track tonight."

Narine's spell was the difference between the sides as KKR eeked out a four-run win to start their campaign.

In a high-scoring contest with over 400 runs scored, the West Indian spinner did not concede a single boundary in his spell.

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"Sunny (Narine) was splendid with the ball" - Shreyas Iyer

KKR skipper Shreyas Iyer hailed the West Indian duo of Andre Russell and Sunil Narine for their match-winning performances against SRH.

While Narine starred with the ball, Russell was the Player of the match for his all-round showing. The big-hitting Jamaican scored a breathtaking 64 off 25 in KKR's total of 208 and picked up two crucial wickets with the ball.

At the post-match presentation, Iyer praised the veteran pair by saying:

"They have such experience. Great to see Andre perform with bat and ball, and even Sunny (Narine) was splendid with the ball. Fantastic to have them around. Always gives you motivation when you start with a win."

KKR endured a dismal 2023 IPL season, finishing seventh with only six wins in 14 games.

They will look to carry forward the momentum from the opening win in their next outing against RCB at Bengaluru on March 29.